Asian Addicts Anonymous

Our crazy vacation gets a little crazier. Just as Yao Xiang and Xiao Tong start to get along an incident has them fighting again. Xiao Tong is determined to leave and En Qi decides to do something spontaneous to cheer her up.

Xiao Tong is looking at the bracelet (I don’t know why I thought this was a necklace, my bad) En Qi gave her as payment for the suitcase he ran over. It really is too expensive and she will need to return it…but she doesn’t know his name or where he is staying. A dilemma. Enter the owner of the house. Is everything okay? Yes. Then why is her friend sleeping in the lobby? The French word for companion has the same meaning as the Greek word “parea.” This is your family when you do mot have family around you. Thus she is scolding Xiao Tong for not treating Yao Xiang well. Xiao Tong then wonders if she is really wrong leaving him to sleep in the lobby.

We cut to see Yao Xiang curled up on a loveseat killing fat Greek mosquitoes trying to feed on his undernourished body. He picks up a paper to hunt the bugs down and nearly smacks Xiao Tong on the head. What is he doing? Leave him alone as he’s on a massacre. He finally kills one troublesome mosquito telling it to go to hell as he blows it away. Peter Ho has been doing more melodrama in recent years, so I had forgotten how comedic he can be. He really is a great actor. So is Alec Su, although I think I’ve only seen him in My Bratty Princess/Mischievous Princess and this drama. He doesn’t act too often. Xiao Tong tells him to never mind his killing spree and come with her.

Xiao Tong is putting way her passport and wallet when Yao Xiang enters. He complains that the sofa in the room isn’t any better than the one downstairs. Xiao Tong tells him if it wasn’t for “parea” he wouldn’t even be up there. She then makes a fist to warn him away from trying anything indecent with her. Yao Xiang gets up and moves quickly to the bed. Let’s be honest. If he were to make a move, there is no way Xiao Tong has the strength to push him away. Of course…he isn’t interested in her that way anyways. Xiao Tong then realizes she lost her notebook with information on a concert. Yao Xiang is not sympathetic. Who cares if you miss one lousy concert? Xiao Tong says as a musician concerts are important. Yao Xiang says he is not as cultured as she is and just let him get some sleep.

Xiao Tong then wonders why he even bothered to come to Greece as most people come for the rich culture and historic sites which he does not seem to be interested in. So why is Yao Xiang here? It’s simple—he wants to spend his money as quick as possible. He recently came into a small fortune and his father was eyeing it up. Yao Xiang doesn’t want to give it to his father and saw a posting for a travel companion and did some calculations. Xiao Tong asks what he does for a living. He’s awaiting employment. When he’s lucky his work will give him enough money to last several months and when he’s unlucky he won’t make anything for an entire year. Xiao Tong mutters that is why he ran from the police and sticks something under her pillow. This hurts Yao Xiang’s feelings as this means she doesn’t trust him. Xiao Tong says they do not know each other and when travelling you must be careful with your things. He should hide his valuables from her as well. Yao Xiang pulls out the thick gold chain from around his neck and says he has something valuable, too. These two.

Liang Ping goes back to his darkened office and finds Hui Wen sleeping on the sofa. He takes off his suit jacket to cover her up. She opens her eyes and sees him standing there. She apologizes for falling asleep. Liang Ping asks why she isn’t at home resting when she is ill. Hui Wen says not to listen to Da Wei as she is perfectly fine. She then asks how is meeting went. This one went well and he got a deal everyone was vying for. Liang Ping then asks if she did not go on her vacation because of him and that blueprint. Hui Wen says that she couldn’t go without knowing the outcome. Liang Ping is not an idiot. She did this to give him support.

Liang Ping walks her home. Since coming to this place his life has revolved around the office. For a year, it’s work and work and more work. Hui Wen says it is hard to believe its been almost a year now. She was his very first employee. Hui Wen replies he is her first boss as well. He is very grateful for all the work Hui Wen does for him and she is grateful for his mentoring. Liang Ping then scolds her for being too concentrated on work and not spending any time on her social life. Hui Wen says this is the perfect time to concentrate on work and he disagrees. Youth only happens once. She should concentrate more on love. He will make sure she doesn’t work overtime anymore since she has a compatible boyfriend. Hui Wen tries to deny this, but he won’t let her. I think they both know she doesn’t see him as just a boss, but are skirting the issue…although Hui Wen seem to think he doesn’t understand. He does.

Back in Greece En Qi and Yi Qian are eating breakfast when Mei Ling comes downstairs. She is on the phone with En Qi’s father and says they will be back in Canada in two more days. Yi Qian says she envies the Lu’s closeness even after all of these years of marriage. Mei Ling says she will teach Yi Qian some tricks to keep her husband by her side later. Tricks? Raises eyebrow. That doesn’t sound good. Mei Ling then asks when Yi Qian will finally settle down and stop wandering. Yi Qian says she is not a wanderer and En Qi then lists off all the things she still says she wants to travel to…how is this not wandering? This is because she hasn’t found someone to settle down with. Awkward silence and En Qi’s smiles slips. His mother says you cannot rush fate and asks about the places they should visit. Athens only has ruins. You will see more beautiful views by going to the islands. Mei Ling passes and tells En Qi to go with Yi Qian. Quit forcing the issue already.

So how are things going for Xiao Tong and Yao Xiang? Yao Xiang actually is awake and has bathed while Xiao Tong is still asleep and clutching her purse. Yao Xiang is exasperated by this. Upon closer inspection, Xiao Tong reminds him of someone. He rushes for his camera and snaps a picture of her sleeping. There is hair in her face and he wants a better picture. As he goes to move it away, Xiao Tong wakes up and screams. She quickly sits up in bed and accidentally cracks her head against his. What is he doing? Yao Xiang explains that she looks like his dead mother. Xiao Tong says this is him cursing her, so she beats him with a pillow. Poor Yao Xiang.

Xiao Tong and Yao Xiang are out walking when he runs into her. She tells him to keep his distance since he is a jinx. She tells him to back up until there are several feet between them. He then sees the traffic signal has changed to red and runs telling her to move, too. Xiao Tong then busies herself finding the store that sold the bracelet. Yao Xiang follows her in and asks if she secretly went shopping yesterday. She tells him to leaver her alone as she looks at the name of the bracelet. “Plato’s Eternity.” Where can she find him?

En Qi is sitting by a pool reading a paper when his mother comes for a chat. He can see that Yi Qian likes him, right? That’s all well and good, but En Qi views her as a little sister. Feelings cannot be forced. No, but they can be nurtured. Why does En Qi think Mei Ling insisted on coming to Greece? For the auction? No. There are auctions everywhere and Mei Ling doesn’t really need the money. It was to bring these two together—En Qi will only regret if someone takes Yi Qian away because he hesitates. En Qi isn’t ready for this now, but momma wants him to make the decision now. She only wants him to have the perfect life with the perfect partner she has picked out. She instructs him to go buy the present for Yi Qian and give it to the woman when they go tour the islands. Poor En Qi. It is not a parent’s job to create a perfect future for their child, but to nurture them to pursue their own perfect future.

Yao Xiang is still following Xiao Tong. She tells him not to come near or she’ll hit him. She then runs into a man and Yao Xiang rushes over. Is the man blind? The Greek man apologizes and Xiao Tong tells him its okay. This vexes Yao Xiang as she treated that foreigner better than him. That is because Yao Xiang left a terrible first impression. Xiao Tong then takes out the bracelet to admit again. Yao Xiang calls her crazy and she calls him detestable. He then asks why women hide treasured items to take them out to stare at before hiding them again. His mother was like that, too. Xiao Tong finally believes him about the incident from this morning. Yao Xiang then says he is the same way. His mother had a hard life and hid things from his father just like how he’s spending his money so his father can’t take it. Xiao Tong says this makes Yao Xiang’s father sound like a robber. Yao Xiang replies Xiao Tong just doesn’t understand poverty. Xiao Tong says he leads a hard life and Yao Xiang is quick to say he doesn’t want her pity. She better act like normal around him from now on. He then mimics her and she tells him to stop being ugly. Now she knows how she really looks.

Yao Xiang gets up and stretches and Xiao Tong offers to let him look at the bracelet. She’s lowering her defenses now? He’s not as terrible as Xiao Tong originally thought. Yao Xiang takes the bracelet and doesn’t get why its so great. Xiao Tong explains the name of the bracelet and how it means eternal love. Yao Xiang calls it nothing more than a marketing scam. Xiao Tong says she is wasting her breath on him and he agrees he is low class. It’s not the first time people have looked down on him. Xiao Tong apologizes for her words the other night. Yao Xiang says its fine as long as she stops treating him like a bad person as he doesn’t hold grudges.

Xiao Tong decides to treat him for starting their new friendship. She goes into her purse, but the wallet is gone. Could that man from earlier have stolen it? They run off in search of the man and find him talking to a friend. Yao Xiang is very tough while Xiao Tong is very timid. She lets the man go again. She tells Yao Xiang to forget it since there is no way they could beat those two men. The depressed Xiao Tong sits down and wonders now what. How can she be so unlucky? Yao Xiang tries to comfort her and realizes he has lost the bracelet as well. Xiao Tong bursts into tears.

They go back to their room and Xiao Tong starts packing. Looks like all the bad luck has taken away the charm of the free and easy vacation and she wants to go home. This leads to another giant argument between Xiao Tong and Yao Xiang who is trying to convince her to stay. Of course, she only has a small amount of money left so she can’t stay or do anything. The owner comes in is something wrong? Xiao Tong storms out and Yao Xiang says she is crazy. He tells the lady not to worry as she will be back since she left her passport (and he finds her wallet to boot).

En Qi is sitting looking over boats on the sea and wonders if this is freedom. He cannot control his own freedom. Meanwhile, the depressed Xiao Tong sees a cute little girl with flowers on the bus. She smiles at her and then frowns again. The little girl gives her the flowers to cheer her up. Xiao Tong gets off the bus and wonders where she is. This woman. She needs to think before acting sometimes as does Yao Xiang.

Of course these two people’s paths are bound to cross. Xiao Tong sees En Qi drive by and tires to get his attention. He goes by and Xiao Tong hails a motorbike cab to catch him. It takes awhile, but they eventually get En Qi’s attention by the bike cutting him off. She rushes up to En Qi and smiles. She has finally found him. Of course now the bracelet is missing so she cannot return it. The irony.

Xiao Tong and En Qi sit on a beach and she explains what happened and apologizes for not being able to return the bracelet to him as she had planned. En Qi tells her not to worry about it since it was her bracelet to begin with. Is she really going to go home? What choice does she have right now since she’s lost everything? She had really wanted to see the island of Santorini, but now she can’t. That really depresses her. “Is there really freedom there?” En Qi asks. Xiao Tong nodded and says it is a paradise of freedom. This has En Qi thinking.

Xiao Tong apologizes for disturbing him and gets up to leave. She is happy to have run into him again. En Qi calls out to her to stop her. “Let’s go together!” What? En Qi asks to go to the paradise of freedom together with Xiao Tong. Meanwhile Yao Xiang is out looking for the bracelet he lost and Yi Qian is buying tickets to go on an island tour with En Qi. Too bad he’s already boarding a boat with Xiao Tong bound for Santorini.

It is so beautiful. Xiao Tong says Santorini is one of two places a traveler should go to. En Qi interrupts to say India and this place. You have to visit Hell to appreciate Heaven. Xiao Tong asks why is he in Greece. Visiting a friend. How awesome is that? To be able to come to Greece whenever you want! She complains about her travel companion and doesn’t want to talk about Yao Xiang. Bad Xiao Tong. She and En Qi then start playing a quiz game using trivia about Greece. The two then go out to see the Aegean Sea. Xiao Tong shouts out and then tells En Qi to do it to as it is good for his health. En Qi says it lowly at first but Xiao Tong tells him to yell louder. He does and it does seem like a weight is lifted a bit. Is he finding some of the freedom he so desperately wants.